Two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen cherishes his memories of Formula 1 races in Spain. The Finn scored his very first F1 victory in 1997 at the Jerez circuit. The win proved to be the start of an extremely successful period at McLaren.
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The new race in Madrid means that F1 will visit Spain for the second time this year, after the earlier GP Catalunya in Barcelona. Other locations have also been the setting for F1 in Spain, with Jerez de la Frontera being one of the best known. In 1997, it was the season finale. That was moved to Jerez after issues around the Portuguese Estoril circuit.
Häkkinen drove for McLaren at the time, alongside David Coulthard. The battle for the world title between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve made for a spectacular race. Schumacher and Villeneuve collided, after which Schumacher retired and Villeneuve was able to continue.
‘Gained a lot of confidence’
In the final phase, Häkkinen and Coulthard caught up with the Canadian. Both McLarens passed Villeneuve on the last lap, after which Häkkinen could celebrate his first victory in Formula 1.
That win gave the Finn the confidence he had been waiting for so long. Moreover, the victory came during the last Grand Prix of the season, allowing Häkkinen to spend the entire winter as a winner.
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“The Grand Prix in Jerez was the last of the year, so I was a winner all winter,” Häkkinen looks back almost thirty years later. “I gained a lot of confidence from it. When we then started the 1998 F1 season, I immediately felt how good the car was. And I knew I had the experience I needed to win. Everything fell into place.”
Häkkinen world champion
That confidence paid off in 1998. Häkkinen won his first world title with McLaren that year. A year later, he became world champion again.
The Finn emphasizes how important his first victory was for his mindset. Winning changed the expectations and gave him the opportunity to fully focus on the next step.
“Winning gives you such incredible confidence. You no longer get questions about when you will win. You can therefore focus on the next challenge, which was to win more often and become champion,” said Häkkinen.
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